12 Days of Christmas Table Setting with a Guest Appearance by One of the 6 Geese

Today I’m wishing I had a table that seated 12. I’d love to share all 12 place settings of this pattern with you for this week’s Tablescape Thursday.

I had planned to place this table in the breakfast room, but at the last minute I decided to set it here in the dining room.

I took these photos late, late last night. Picture taking was delayed a bit while I polished the silver-plated lamps on the sideboard. They hadn’t been polished in quite a while and badly needed it.

I wish there was a way to have them sealed so they would never tarnish again. They need it yearly and I’m worried I’ll wear away the silver. I can tell that’s starting to happen on a few of the raised edges which doesn’t look bad since it kinda accents those edges. But I don’t want the same thing to happen all over the lamp. Any recommendations?

A sassy goose has joined us for this Christmas celebration. She heard it’s a 12 Days of Christmas dinner party and she’s here representing the “6 Geese a-laying.” Wish I had thought to add a little greenery/berries inside the lanterns around the base of each candle. I always think of these things after the photos are taken. lol

The green and red table runner is from Marshalls a couple of months back. I’m not normally a big fan of table runners, not sure why, but I do like how this one works in this tablescape.

Miss Goose is surrounded by magnolia leaves, cut from the magnolia tree in my front yard late yesterday evening. This is the time of year the branches start taking over the front walkway, perfect timing for a little Christmas decorating.

Paisley napkins are layered over red velvet-edged linen napkins. Velvet-edged napkins are from Pier 1 several years ago. Can’t remember now where I found the paisley napkins, was probably Marshalls, HomeGoods or Tuesday Morning.

The water glasses are Waterford in the pattern Araglin. The red ruby hock wine glasses are also Waterford. The silver is Towle, King Richard–the pattern I chose back in 1978 as a bride-to-be.

The plaid salad plates at each setting are a recent purchase. They are currently on sale with free shipping here: Plaid Salad Plates. Use the code JINGLE to get 25% off.

Many years ago I was out antiquing and I came across a set of Valerie Hill Parr’s 12 Days of Christmas dinnerware. Unfortunately, the dealer only had days 1-8 of the set. I purchased all she had and from time to time checked on eBay hoping to find days 9-12.

A couple of times I came close to completing my set but there was always a glitch–like the seller was selling each piece individually, making the cost way too high…or the set included the pieces I already had.

I eventually forgot about looking, the search seemed futile. Then the nicest thing happened a few months ago! I received an email from Heather, a lovely BNOTP reader, letting me know she had tripped across the pattern on eBay. What?! I was on it!

The seller had all 12 Days and was selling each place setting individually. I snapped up days 9-12 without hesitation. After many years of waiting, at last my pattern was complete!

Thanks so much to Heather for remembering I needed days 9-12 and emailing me when she saw the pattern on eBay. I’m thrilled to finally have this pattern completed!

In this week’s table, I’m sharing the newly acquired pieces–days 9-12. I’m also using two other “days” (Days 6 and 8) in this table for six.

I went with a lot of layers this week. We have tartan chargers as our base. These chargers are currently on sale here: Tartan Chargers. That’s followed by the dinner plate, a plaid salad plate and the salad plate from the 12 Days of Christmas pattern is acting as our “appetizer” plate.

On the 9th Day of Christmas…

Nine Ladies Dancing…

On the 10th Day of Christmas…

10 Lords a-leaping…

On the 11th Day of Christmas…

11 Pipers Piping…

On the 12th Day of Christmas…

12 Drummers Drumming

I pulled two more settings from my previous collection to complete this table for six. I had to use the 6th Day or Miss Goose would not have been very happy with me. 😉

On the 6th Day of Christmas…

6 Geese a-laying…

And finally…
On the 8th Day of Christmas…

8 Maids a-milking…

If you would like to see the other “days” for this pattern, you’ll find a previous post where I set a table with this 12 Days of Christmas pattern and shared days 1-8 here: 12 Days of Christmas Tablescape.

Thanks again to Heather for making this tablescape possible! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Looking forward to the beautiful tables linked for this week’s Tablescape Thursday!

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Comments

Susan, I am so glad you were able to complete your set, it is beautiful. I love the goose as your centerpiece with the magnolia leaves surrounding it. The plate stack is stunning. Thanks so much for hosting every week! Wishing you a most joyous Christmas season!

Susan, Your dining room tablescape is gorgeous! Love all the dishes in the plate stack and your centerpiece is so pretty. How nice to have fresh magnolia in your yard for cutting.
Have a lovely day! Everything looks so festive at your house!

Thanks, Donna! I always have to look on the bottom to remind myself. It’s stamped “CR, Christmas Collection, White Christmas.”Another reader once told me that the CR stands for Corner Ruby. I left the sticker on the bottom since I can never remember where I found it. I found it in HomeGoods. It says it was originally $80 marked down to $29.99.

Elena, if I ever come across one, I will let you know. I was in HomeGoods a few weeks ago and they had the snowman dishes that I purchased many, many years ago, so from time to time, they do apparently bring things back.

Such a welcoming a wonderful table, Susan. You make two patterns of tartan in the same stack work. Kudos to you! And those red Waterford wine glasses are a festive treasure. Thank you for this visual delight.

So beautifully done Susan! I’m happy for you that you found the other plates and could complete your set. Love the centerpiece goose flanked with the magnolia leaves. Seeing the beautiful crystal and silver offers the kind of beauty I love to see for special holidays like this.

Thanks, Liz! I truly didn’t think I’d ever be able to find all 12 place settings. So thankful Heather spotted those! I know what you mean, it feels great to bring it out. We should enjoy it more often, shouldn’t we?!

Love the table, dishes, and napkins! Not sure about your silver, but the lamps look great. I use Maas cream polish, but Lidy at French Garden House recommends Goddard’s, Wright’s, or Twinkle. She says Goddard’s has a tarnish resistant barrier, and also comes in a foam for sponging into intricate filigree. Hope this helps!

I use Hagerty’s because that’s the polish a very high-end silver shop uses in Atlanta. They swear by it and it seems to have great reviews. Hagerty also makes a spray version which is my favorite because it gets down into the crannies, although I always wear a mask when using the spray. I wonder if Hagerty’s has a tarnish resistant barrier, I need to look that up and see. Thanks, Rita!

I know, I fell in love with it the day I spotted it while antiquing so many years ago. Sadly the antique shop has closed. I can’t believe how many have closed in the last few years. How can people not absolutely love beautiful old antiques? Never thought I’d see the day when so many would close.
lol Yes, friends like that are very good! 😉

What a beautiful setting. Those 12 days of Christmas plates are lovely. I have a lot of Valerie Parr Hill’s products,but have never seen those dishes. Happy for you in getting the full set. Wishing you and yours a Blessed Christmas and a Happy,peaceful 2019.
Marilyn and family

I discovered her kinda late. Marilyn, do you have her book, Decorating for the Holidays? I found it on Amazon a few years back.
Merry Christmas to you and your family! It will be here before we know it! Yikes!

Susan,
Miss Goose looks very self-confident and happy to make her debut in the middle of your beautiful table; she’s a real cutie! Love her! 🙂
Also love that table runner and those Twelve Days of Christmas dishes! I confess I had to look up the meanings of the gifts… very interesting! Have you ever posted about the dishes 1-8?

Gorgeous, Susan, as usual! Funny thing — we were both brides-to-be in 1978, and my silver pattern is Towle, too — Danish Baroque. I’d love be able to use it more often.
The silver lamps are really lovely, and I’m sure they look wonderful in person.
Love all your beautiful things!

Marlene, we really should be using our silver every day. They say the more you use it, the prettier the patina. I do use my teaspoons every day for cereal, etc… Every day we are here on this earth, breathing …is a special day. 🙂

The mirror over the buffet/sideboard takes my breath away every time I see it (not to mention the overhead lighting). I bet you were just like a little kid setting the table with your perfect find thanks to Heather. I can see why you would be so excited to complete the set after waiting so long–it is adorable. I used to have a Goose as a pet so the geese are dear to me. Beautiful, beautiful table setting.

Thanks, Kathleen! That mirror is a miracle…I was just at the right place at the right time. Now the place that used to have the warehouse sales is gone…the owners retired. Seems like all the places I used to love to shop for antiques or furniture are vanishing.
Awww, that is so sweet. Love that! ♥

Love that set of dishes but I must tell you a little story concerning a set of the 12 Days of Christmas. I went on a home tour in my town a couple of years back and a lady had the set and had it on her table. She told the story of her father owning a furniture store and sold other things and he mailed her the entire set of the 12 Days of Christmas thru the USPS and not a one got broken! That was the first time I’d ever seen them. They are very very nice!

Wow, he must have really known how to properly pack things. That’s amazing none were broken! There are so many different patterns out there for the 12 Days of Christmas. I have one more pattern I bought a few years ago and I think I’ve only used it once for Tablescape Thursday. You can see it in this post: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/12-days-of-christmas-holiday-table-setting/
Thanks, Nita! XXX

Absolutely beautiful and creative in every aspect and lucky you to have access to fresh Magnolia leaves. (The last two wreaths that I purchased; have faux ones … :).) Regarding the tarnishing/oxidation of your lamps, from what I understand humidity and heat are the cause of it and the reason why silver is often stored in nitrate treated flannel. Now regarding your lamps something that you could try is; wrap a small piece of chalk in cheesecloth and attach it inconspicuously either on the harp of the lamp or tuck it under its base as it will absorb the humidity. Another thing that may also work is those little sachet packets that often are in the box with a pair of new shoes as they are something I use for my silver pieces which are stored in my side-server. As for the heat, perhaps you could use lower wattage bulbs when you do have them on. -Brenda-

Brenda, you want to hear something funny/silly. I was thinking the other day if I ever move to Ohio to be closer to family there, I may not have a magnolia in my yard. lol I’m not sure I can “do” Christmas without a magnolia. Ha!
Well, we definitely have plenty of heat/humidity here, that’s for sure.
Thanks for those tips! I will definitely try that. I once found these strips that you place inside the drawers where you store silver, I bet that’s how they worked to keep silver from tarnishing so. Thanks, Brenda! You always have such great suggestions! XXX

Hi Susan,
Loved the table, so festive!
I have two suggestions for you regarding your silver lamps thanks to two of my aunts. Aunt Josie maintained she never had to polish silver… But she washed is in sudsy water periodically. Aunt Elizabeth’s advice, line the sink with foil and fill it with very hot water in which a large box of Baking Soda has been disolved… Place the silver in the mix, making sure it touches the foil… The tarnish will be drawn to it… Rinse and wash in sudsy water, rinse and dry. Often this does the trick. A light polishing may be necessary, but this method saves a lot of work and doesn’t polish away the silver… Obviously your lamps will need “special handling” and avoid immersing your sterling knives in water, Hope this is helpful…
sheilaC

I will totally try the soap water idea. I’ll try to run a soap cloth over them every couple of months, would be awesome if that would keep me from having to keep polishing them. I love how they look when they are shiny. lol
I have hear about the foil trick for flatware, but haven’t tried it.

Oh, my, Susan, this table is beyond lovely, and a perfect setting for a holiday dinner. Your new dinnerware is spectacular. Each plate tells a story, and I love everything about it. I’m so glad you could complete your set.
Bravo! !
Rosie @ The Magic Hutch

What a beautiful room and tablescape! It is perfect! I do have one question. Do you plate the food in the kitchen and then serve it? When I have the family over there is no room on the table to put a centerpiece due to all the serving dishes!
Thank you, Merry Christmas and a blessed 2019

When I host Thanksgiving or dinner here, or really even just a dinner party with friends, I always leave the dishes of food on the kitchen counter so everyone can serve themselves. My dining room table is so narrow, which is good for my smallish dining room, but it leaves very little space for food/dishes.
Also, there are so many different dishes/food when I cook for Thanksgiving or Christmas, they would never all fit anyway. There are usually around 10-15 dishes, so buffet style really works best. For a typical Thanksgiving dinner, we have: Turkey, Ham, Squash Casserole, Sweet Potato Casserole, Green Beans, Dressing, a Lime Congealed Salad that my son loves, Corn Casserole that my dil loves, Cranberry Sauce, and rolls. Everything is home made and cooked from scratch, except the ham. I usually buy a Honey Baked Ham.
I’m sure I’m leaving something off…that’s just from memory.
For dessert, it’s always a made-from-scratch Coconut Cake (with freshly grated coconut) served with ambrosia. Oh man, this is making me want some right now! lol
So, there’s just no way all those dishes would fit on the table, unless I had a banquet table. I always dreamed of having a dining room that would support a big, long banquet table that seated 12. Oh, what Christmas dinner parties I could have! 🙂

I do place the tea/water pitch within easy reach on the sideboard for refills and that’s normally where I place all the desserts.